Mindanao
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R8sam&meg
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{{Infobox Islands
|name = Mindanao
|image name = Ph luzviminda.png
|image caption = Map of the [[Philippines]] showing the island groups of [[Luzon]], [[Visayas]], and Mindanao
|native name =
|native name link =
|location = [[South East Asia]]
|coordinates=
|archipelago = [[Philippine islands]]
|total islands = 7,107
|major islands = [[Luzon]], [[Mindanao]], [[Mindoro Island|Mindoro]], [[Palawan Island|Palawan]]
|area = 97,530 km²
|rank = 19th
|highest mount = [[Mount Apo|Apo]]
|elevation = 2,954 m
|country = Philippines
|country admin divisions title = Regions
|country admin divisions = [[Caraga]], [[Davao Region|Davao]], [[Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao|Muslim Mindanao]], [[Northern Mindanao]], [[SOCCSKSARGEN]], [[Zamboanga Peninsula]]
|country largest city = [[Davao City|Davao]]
|country largest city population = 1,747,116
|population = 18,133,864
|population as of = 2000
|density = 172.5
|ethnic groups = [[Bajau|Bajao]], [[Visayan people|Visayan]] ([[Butuanon people|Butuanon]], [[Surigaonon people|Surigaonon]]), [[Lumad]] ([[Kamayo]], [[Cotabato Manobo language|Manobo]], [[Tasaday]], [[T'boli]]), [[Moro people|Moro]] ([[Maguindanao people|Maguindanao]], [[Maranao]])
}}
'''Mindanao''' is the second largest and easternmost [[island]] in the [[Philippines]]. It is also one of the three island groups in the country, along with [[Luzon]] and [[Visayas]]. Historically, the island was also known as '''''Gran Molucas''''' or '''''Great Mollucas'''''.
== History ==
Mindanao is named after the [[Maguindanao people|Maguindanaons]]. Evidence of human occupation dates back tens of thousands of years. In prehistoric times the [[Negrito]] people arrived. Sometime around 1500 BC [[Austronesian people]]s spread throughout the Philippines and far beyond.
[[Islam]] spread to the region during the 13th century AD and Philippine sultanates were established, like that of [[Sultanate of Sulu|Sulu]] and [[Sultanate of Maguindanao|Maguindanao]]. In the late 16th to early 17th century, first contact with [[Spain]] occurred, with Spanish forces trying to occupy the area.
Today the region is home to the country's [[Muslim]] or [[Moro people|Moro]] populations, composed of many ethnic groups such as the [[Maranao]] and the [[Tausug]], the [[Banguingui]] (users of the ''[[vinta]]''), and the collective group of tribes known as the [[Lumad]].
Contrary to common belief, only a portion of Mindanao was inhabited by Muslims after the arrival of Islam. In fact, most of the people in the northern and eastern part of the island practiced native religions before they were converted to [[Christianity in the Philippines|Christianity]]. Nonetheless, a bitter struggle for independence has been waged by various Muslim factions for five centuries against successive occupiers. [[History of the Philippines (1521–1898)|Spanish]], [[History of the Philippines (1898–1946)|American]], Japanese, and government forces failed to quell the desire for separation from the largely Christian nation. Due to an influx of migration, as well as [[Proselytism|evangelization]], the majority of Mindanao's population is now predominantly Christian. This has caused some resentment among the poor and seemingly displaced Muslims which in turn fuels the more violent and radical separatist movements that have been occurring recently. Mindanao is a staging ground for groups branded as terrorists such as [[Abu Sayyaf]] and [[Jemaah Islamiyah]] that undermine moderate organizations such as the [[Moro National Liberation Front]] (MNLF).
==Geography==
Mindanao is the second largest island in the country at 94,630 square kilometers. The island is mountainous, and is home to [[Mount Apo]], the highest mountain in the country. Mindanao is surrounded by seas: the [[Sulu Sea]] to the west, the [[Philippine Sea]] to the east, and the [[Celebes Sea]] to the south. Of all the islands of the Philippines, Mindanao shows the greatest variety of physiographic development. High, rugged, faulted mountains; almost isolated volcanic peaks; high rolling plateaus; and broad, level, swampy plains are found there.
The island group of Mindanao encompasses Mindanao island itself and the [[Sulu Archipelago]] to the southwest. The island group is divided into six [[Regions of the Philippines|regions]], which are further subdivided into 25 [[Provinces of the Philippines|provinces]].
=== Mountains and Plateaus ===
The mountains of Mindanao can be conveniently be grouped into five ranges, including both complex structural mountains and volcanoes. The structural mountains on the extreme eastern and western portions of the island show broad exposures of Mesozoic rock with ultrabasic rocks at the surface in many places along the east coast. Surface rock in other areas of the island is mainly [[Tertiary]] and [[Quarternary]] volcanic or sedimentary.
Paralleling the east coast, from [[Bilas Point]] in [[Surigao del Norte]] to [[Cape Agustin]] in southeast Davao, is a range of complex mountains known in their northern portion as the [[Diwata Mountains]]. This range is low and rolling in its central portion. A proposed road connecting Bislig on the east coast with the [[Agusan River]] would pass through a ten-mile broad saddle across the mountains at a maximum elevation of less than 250 meters while the existing east-west road from Lianga, 30 air miles north of [[Bislig]], reaches a maximum elevation of only 450 meters. The Diwata Mountains, north of these low points, are considerably higher and more rugged, reaching an elevation of 2,012 meters in Mount Hilonghilong, 17 miles northeast of [[Butuan City]]. The southern portion of this east coast range is broader and even more rugged than the northern section. In eastern Davao, several peaks rise above 2,500 meters and one unnamed mountain rises to 2,810 meters.
The east facing coastal regions of Davao and Surigao del Sur are marked by a series of small coastal lowlands separated from the other by rugged forelands which extend to the water’s edge. Offshore are numerous [[coral reefs]] and tiny [[islets]]. This remote and forbidding coast is made doubly difficult to access during the months from October to March by the heavy surf driven before the northeast trades. A few miles offshore is found the Mindanao or [[Philippine Deep]]. This ocean trench, reaching measured depths of 35,400 feet, marks one of the greatest depths known on the earth’s surface.
A second north-south range extends along the western borders of [[Agusan]] and [[Davao Region|Davao]] provinces from [[Camiguin|Camiguin Island]] in the north to Tinaca Point in the south. This range is mainly structural in origin, but it also contains at least three active volcano peaks. In the central and northern portions of this range, there are several peaks between 2,000 and 2,500 meters and here the belt of mountains is about 30 miles across. West of the city of Davao two active volcanoes, [[Mount Talomo]] at 2,693 meters and [[Mount Apo]] at 2,954 meters, the highest point in the Philippines, dominate the skyline, South of Mount Apo, this central mountain belt is somewhat lower than it is to the north, with peaks averaging 1,100 and 1,800 meters only.
In Western Mindanao, a range of complex structural mountains forms the long, hand-like [[Zamboanga Peninsula]]. These mountains, reaching heights of only 1,200 meters, are not as high as the other structural belts in Mindanao. In addition, there are several places in the Zamboanga Mountains where small inter-mountain basins have been created, with some potential for future agricultural development. The northeastern end of this range is marked by the twin peaks of the now extinct volcano, [[Mt. Malindang]], which rise splendidly behind [[Ozamis City]] to a height of 2,425 meters. [[Mt. Dapia]] is the highest mountain in the Zamboanga Peninsula reaching a height of 2,617 meters (8,586 ft). Meanwhile, [[Batorampon Point]] is the highest mountain of the southernmost end of the peninsula reaching a height of only 1,335 meters (4,380 ft) located in the boundery of [[Zamboanga City]].
A series of volcanic mountains is found near [[Lake Lanao]] in a broad arc through [[Lanao del Sur]], northern [[Cotabato]] and western [[Bukidnon]] provinces. At least six of the twenty odd peaks in this area are active and several are very impressive as they stand in semi-isolation. The Butig Peaks, with their four crater lakes, are easily seen from Cotabato. [[Mount Ragang]], an active volcano cone, reaching 2,815 meters is the most isolated, while the greatest height is reached by [[Mount Kitanglad]] at 2,896 meters.
In southwestern [[Cotabato]], still another range of volcanic mountains is found, this time paralleling the coast. These mountains have a maximum extent of 110 miles from northwest to southeast and measure some 30 miles across. The best known mountain here is [[Mount Parker]] whose almost circular [[crater lake]] measures a mile and a quarter in diameter and lies 300 meters below its 2,040 meter summit.
A second important physiographic division of Mindanao is the series of upland plateaus in [[Bukidnon]] and [[Lanao del Sur]] provinces. These [[plateaus]] are rather extensive and almost surround several [[volcanoes]] in this area. The plateaus are comprised of basaltic lava flows interbedded with ash and volcanic tuff. Near their edges the plateaus are cut by deep [[canyons]] and at several points spectacular waterfalls drop to the narrow coastal plain. These falls hold considerable promise for development of hydroelectric energy. Indeed, one such site at [[Maria Cristina Falls]] has already become a major producer. Because the rolling plateaus lie at an elevation averaging 700 meters above sea level, they offer relief from the often oppressive heat at the coastal lowlands. [[Lake Lanao]] occupies the major portion of one such plateau in [[Lanao del Sur]]. This largest lake on Mindanao and second in the country is roughly triangular in shape with an 18-mile long base. Having a surface at 780 meters above sea level, and being rimmed on the east, south and west by series of peaks reaching 2,300 meters, the lake provides a scenic grandeur and pleasant temperature seldom equaled in the country. [[Marawi City]], at the northern tip of the lake, is bisected by the [[Agus River]] which feeds the [[Maria Cristina Falls]].
Another of Mindanao’s spectacular waterfall sites is located in Malabang, 15 miles south of [[Lake Lanao]]. Here the Jose Abad Santos Falls present one of the nation’s scenic wonders at the gateway to a 200-hectare national park development.
===Plains===
Mindanao contains two large inland lowland areas, the valleys of the [[Agusan River|Agusan]] and [[Mindanao River|Mindanao]] rivers in [[Agusan]] and [[Cotabato]] Provinces, respectively. There is some indication that the Agusan Valley occupies a broad syncline between the central mountains and the east coast mountains. This valley measures 110 miles from south to north and varies from 20-30 miles in width. Thirty five miles north of the head of Davao Gulf lay the watershed between the Agusan and the tributaries of the Libuganon River which flows to the Gulf. The elevation of this divide is well under 200 meters indicating the almost continuous nature of the lowland from the [[Mindanao Sea]] on the north to the [[Davao Gulf]].
The [[Mindanao River]] and its main tributaries, the [[Catisan River|Catisan]] and the [[Pulangi River|Pulangi]], form a valley with a maximum length of 120 miles and a width which varies from 12 miles at the river mouth to about 60 miles in central [[Cotabato]]. The southern extensions of this Cotabato Valley extends uninterrupted across a 350 meter [[drainage divide|watershed]] from [[Illana Bay]] on the northwest to [[Sarangani Bay]] on the southeast.
Other lowlands of a coastal nature are to be found in various parts of Mindanao. Many of these are tiny isolated pockets, as along the northwest coast of [[Zamboanga]]. In other areas such as the Davao Plain, these coastal lowlands are as much as ten miles wide and several times that length.
From [[Dipolog City|Dipolog]] eastward along the northern coast of Mindanao almost to [[Butuan City]] extends a rolling coastal plain of varying width. In [[Misamis Occidental]], the now dormant [[Mt. Malindang]] has created a lowland averaging eight miles in width. Shallow [[Panquil Bay]] divides this province from [[Lanao del Norte]], and is bordered by low lying, poorly drained lowlands and extensive mangroves. In [[Misamis Oriental]], the plain is narrower and in places almost pinched out by rugged forelands which reach to the sea. East of [[Cagayan de Oro City]], a rugged peninsula extends well into the Mindanao Sea.
==Political divisions==
{{main|Political Divisions of Mindanao}}
[[Image:Philippinen basilan moschee ph05p27.jpg|thumb|left|180 px|[[Basilan]] in [[ARMM]]]]
[[Image:Mindanao regions.PNG|right|thumb|A [[map]] of Mindanao color-coded by [[Regions of the Philippines|region]]s.
{{legend|green|ARMM}}
{{legend|yellow|CARAGA}}
{{legend|red|Davao}}
{{legend|magenta|Northern Mindanao}}
{{legend|navy|SOCCSKSARGEN}}
{{legend|orange|Zamboanga Peninsula}}
For the exclaves, see the text.]]
The island group of Mindanao is an arbitrary grouping of islands in the southern Philippines which encompasses six [[Regions of the Philippines|administrative regions]]<ref>[http://www.nscb.gov.ph/activestats/psgc/listreg.asp List of Regions in the Philippines]</ref>. These regions are further subdivided into 25 [[Provinces of the Philippines|provinces]], of which only four are not on Mindanao island itself. The island group includes the [[Sulu Archipelago]] to the southwest, which consists of the major islands of [[Basilan]], [[Jolo Island|Jolo]], and [[Tawi-Tawi]], plus outlying islands in other areas such as [[Camiguin]], [[Dinagat Island|Dinagat]], [[Siargao Island|Siargao]], [[Island Garden City of Samal|Samal]]. The Limunsudan Falls, with an approximate height of 800 ft, is the highest water falls in the Philippines located at Iligan City.
The six regions are listed below:
* [[Zamboanga Peninsula]] (Region IX)
* [[Northern Mindanao]] (Region X)
* [[Davao Region]] (Region XI)
* [[SOCCSKSARGEN]] (Region XII)
* [[Caraga]] (Region XIII)
* [[Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao]] (ARMM)
==Musical heritage==
{{main|Music of the Philippines|Kulintang}}
The native Maguindanaon and other native Muslim/non-Muslim groups of Mindanao have a fascinating culture that revolves around [[kulintang]] music, a specific type of gong music, found among both Muslim and non-Muslim groups of the Southern Philippines.
==See also==
{{Commonscat|Mindanao}}
{{wiktionary}}
*[[Geography of the Philippines]]
*[[Bangsamoro]]
*[[Moro people]]
*[[Islam in the Philippines]]
*[[Lumad]]
*[[Sultanate of Sulu]]
*[[Sultanate of Maguindanao]]
*[[Regions of the Philippines]]
*[[Provinces of the Philippines]]
==Notes and References==
{{Refimprove|date=May 2008}}
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.mindanews.com/ Mindanao News]
*[http://www.onlinemindanao.com/ The definitive source of information and photographs of the island Mindanao, Philippines]
{{Mindanao lateral}}
{{coor title dm|8|00|N|125|00|E|region:PH_type:isle}}
[[Category:Islands of the Philippines]]
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